Approach for sharing electronic documents during electronic meetings

ABSTRACT

An approach is provided for sharing electronic documents during electronic meetings. Client devices of meeting participants are configured with a file sharing application that allows participants of an electronic meeting to request and receive, during the electronic meeting, electronic documents that are displayed during the electronic meeting, allows presenters to review and approve or deny requests for electronic documents, and to apply security restrictions to electronic documents on a participant-by-participant basis. Private electronic meetings may be established concurrent with an existing electronic meeting and include one or more participants from a general electronic meeting from which they were instantiated, and may include other participants that are not participants of the general electronic meeting. Participants may be selected by a meeting organizer and various criteria may be used to select participants. Content shared during a private electronic meeting may be designated as not to be shared during the general electronic meeting.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/746,175 entitled APPROACH FOR SHARING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS DURINGELECTRONIC MEETINGS, filed Jun. 22, 2015 and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/746,466 entitled APPROACH FOR SHARING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTSDURING ELECTRONIC MEETINGS, filed Jun. 22, 2015, the contents all ofwhich are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposesas if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments relate generally to electronic meetings and file sharing.

BACKGROUND

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could bepursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previouslyconceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it shouldnot be assumed that any of the approaches described in this sectionqualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in thissection.

A variety of collaboration tools now exists for conducting electronicmeetings over networks. These tools allow meeting participants, ingeographically disparate locations, to simultaneously view electronicdocuments, share computer desktops and conduct video conferencing. Oneof the issues with these tools, however, is that meeting participantsinterested in a copy of an electronic document viewed during anelectronic meeting must separately request the electronic document fromthe meeting organizer or the participant who presented the electronicdocument. The electronic document has to then be separately provided tothe requestor, typically via email. Another issue is that electronicdocuments are often provided to requestors without any securityrestrictions, which allows unauthorized access to or use of theelectronic documents by third parties.

SUMMARY

An apparatus includes one or more processors, one or more memoriescommunicatively coupled to the one or more processors, a display, andcollaboration client executing on the apparatus and configured tosupport an electronic meeting via one or more networks with anotherapparatus that is external to the apparatus. The collaboration client isconfigured to cause to be displayed on the display of the apparatus, oneor more graphical user interface objects that allow a user of theapparatus to request creation of a private electronic meeting to beconducted concurrently with an existing electronic meeting. The privateelectronic meeting includes a subset of participants from a plurality ofparticipants of the existing electronic meeting and allows for thesharing of information between participants in the subset ofparticipants from the plurality of participants of the existingelectronic meeting. The collaboration client is further configured todetect a user selection of the one or more graphical user interfaceobjects that allow a user of the apparatus to request creation of aprivate electronic meeting to be conducted concurrently with theexisting electronic meeting and cause creation of the private electronicmeeting to be conducted concurrently with the existing electronicmeeting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the figures of the accompanying drawings like reference numeralsrefer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that depicts an arrangement for sharingelectronic documents during electronic meetings.

FIG. 2A depicts an example electronic meeting screen.

FIG. 2B depicts an example requested documents screen.

FIG. 2C depicts an example shared documents screen.

FIG. 3A is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for a sharingelectronic documents during an electronic meeting from the perspectiveof a participant.

FIG. 3B is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for a sharingelectronic documents during an electronic meeting from the perspectiveof a presenter.

FIG. 4A depicts example electronic meeting tracking data.

FIG. 4B is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for using participantauthentication to manage access to electronic documents shared during anelectronic meeting.

FIG. 5A depicts an example electronic meeting screen generated bycollaboration client.

FIG. 5B depicts an electronic meeting screen with a general meetingwindow and a private meeting window for a new private electronic meetingthat has been instantiated.

FIG. 5C depicts a private meeting window.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for sharinginformation using private meetings.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that depicts an example computer system uponwhich embodiments may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devicesare shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the embodiments.

-   -   I. OVERVIEW    -   II. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE        -   A. Client Devices        -   B. Collaboration Server    -   III. SHARING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS DURING ELECTRONIC MEETINGS        -   A. Requesting Electronic Documents        -   B. Processing Requests for Electronic Documents        -   C. Participant Authentication    -   IV. PRIVATE ELECTRONIC MEETINGS        -   A. Overview        -   B. Establishing Private Electronic Meetings        -   C. Private Electronic Meeting Participants        -   D. Adding Content to Private Electronic Meetings    -   V. IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS        I. Overview

An approach is provided for sharing electronic documents duringelectronic meetings. Client devices of meeting participants areconfigured with a file sharing application that allows participants ofan electronic meeting to request and receive, during the electronicmeeting, electronic documents that are displayed during the electronicmeeting. The file sharing application allows presenters to review andapprove or deny requests for electronic documents, and to apply securityrestrictions to electronic documents on a participant-by-participantbasis. Security restrictions may also be specific to particularelectronic meetings and access to electronic documents shared duringelectronic meetings may be restricted to users who were participants ofthe electronic meetings. The approach provides a user-friendly approachfor both presenters and participants to share electronic documentson-demand during electronic meetings. Although embodiments are describedherein in the context of sharing files, embodiments are not limited tofiles per se and are applicable to sharing any type of data in anyformat or structure. Embodiments include a capability is provided toestablish one or more private electronic meetings to be conductedconcurrent with an existing electronic meeting. Private electronicmeetings include one or more participants from a general electronicmeeting from which they were instantiated, and may include otherparticipants that are not participants of the general electronicmeeting. Participants may be selected by a meeting organizer and variouscriteria may be used to select participants. Content shared during aprivate electronic meeting may be designated as not to be shared duringthe general electronic meeting from which the private electronic meetingwas instantiated.

II. System Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that depicts an arrangement 100 for sharingelectronic documents during electronic meetings. Arrangement 100includes client devices 102, 104 and a collaboration server 106,communicatively coupled via a network 108. Arrangement 100 is notlimited the particular elements depicted in FIG. 1 and may include feweror additional elements depending upon a particular implementation.Network 108 is depicted in FIG. 1 as a single network for purposes ofexplanation only and network 108 may include any number and types ofwired or wireless networks, such as local area networks (LANs), widearea networks (WANs), the Internet, etc. The various elements depictedin FIG. 1 may also communicate with each other via direct communicationslinks that are not depicted in FIG. 1 for purposes of explanation.

A. Client Devices

Client devices 102, 104 may be any type of client device that is capableof participating in an electronic meeting. Example implementations ofclient devices 102, 104 include, without limitation, a workstation,personal computer, laptop computer, tablet computing device, personaldigital assistant, smart phone, an interactive whiteboard appliance,etc. In the example depicted in FIG. 1, client device 102 is depictedwith various components that may also be included in client device 104,but these components are depicted in the figures and described only withrespect to client device 102 for purposes of explanation.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1, client device 102 includes a display110, a communications interface 112, a collaboration client 114, a filesharing application 116, a processor 118, an operating system (OS) 120,and storage 122. These elements are described in more detailhereinafter. Client device 102 may include fewer or more components thatthose depicted in FIG. 1 and described herein and the particularcomponents used may vary depending upon a particular implementation andclient device 102 is not limited to a particular set of components orfeatures. For example, client device 102 may also include manualcontrols, such as buttons, slides, etc., not depicted in FIG. 1, forperforming various functions on mobile device, such as powering on/offor changing the state of client device 102 and/or display 110.

Display 110 may be implemented by any type of display that displaysimages and information to a user and may also be able to receive userinput and embodiments are not limited to any particular implementationof display 110. As one non-limiting example, display 110 may be atouchscreen display 110 that both displays information to users andallows user to select graphical user interface objects. Client device102 may have any number of displays 120, of similar or varying types,located anywhere on client device 102.

Communications interface 112 may include computer hardware, software, orany combination of computer hardware and software to provide wiredand/or wireless communications between client device 102 and otherdevices and/or networks, such as collaboration server 106 and clientdevice 104. The particular components for communications interface 112may vary depending upon a particular implementation and embodiments arenot limited to any particular implementation of communications interface112.

Collaboration client 114 is an application that executes on clientdevice 102 and, in conjunction with collaboration server 106, supportselectronic meetings between client device 102 and other devices, such asclient device 104. One non-limiting example implementation ofcollaboration client 114 is a Microsoft Lync Client. Client device 104also includes a collaboration client 140 that may include the samefunctionality as collaboration client 114.

File sharing application 116 is an application that executes on clientdevice 102 and allows electronic meeting participants to request andreceive, during the electronic meeting, electronic documents that aredisplayed during the electronic meeting. File sharing application 116allows presenters to review and approve or deny requests, and to applysecurity restrictions to electronic documents on aparticipant-by-participant basis. File sharing application 116 maymaintain information about past, present and future electronic meetings,including the meeting participants and their status, as well as requestsfor electronic documents, the status of requests, and electronicdocuments that have been shared. File sharing application 116 may beimplemented in computer hardware, computer software, or any combinationof computer hardware and computer software. File sharing application 116may be implemented as a stand-alone entity, as depicted in FIG. 1 forpurposes of explanation only, or implemented as part of one or moreother entities. For example, file sharing application 116 may beimplemented as part of collaboration client 114 or as a plug-in tocollaboration client 114. File sharing application 116 may display, inconjunction with collaboration client 114 and other components on clientdevice 102, such as a UI component (not displayed in FIG. 1), and OS120, various graphical user interface controls for sharing electronicdocuments displayed during an electronic meeting. Client device 104 alsoincludes a file sharing application 142 that may include the samefunctionality as file sharing application 116.

Operating system 120 executes on client device 102 and may be any typeof operating system that may vary depending upon a particularimplementation and embodiments are not limited to any particularimplementation of operating system 120. Operating system 120 may includemultiple operating systems of varying types, depending upon a particularimplementation. Processor 118 may be any number and types of processorsand storage 122 may be implemented by any number and types of memories,including volatile memory and non-volatile memory, which may varydepending upon a particular implementation.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1, storage 122 stores file sharing data124 that includes shared file data 126, requested file data 128 and filesharing data 130. Shared file data 126 indicates data, such as one ormore electronic documents, that have been requested by otherparticipants of an electronic meeting. Shared file data 126 may specify,for example, requests for data, the status of those requests, e.g.,granted or denied, timestamp data that indicates when and by whom datawas requested and security restrictions applied to data for which arequest has been granted, which may be on a participant-by-participantbasis. Shared file data 126 may also include the actual data that hasbeen shared with other participants. Shared file data 126 may bespecific to a particular user, for example a particular user of clientdevice 102, or may be specific to multiple users.

Requested file data 128 is data that indicates data, such as one or moreelectronic documents, that have been requested by a participant of anelectronic meeting, such as a user of client device 102. Requested filedata 128 may specify, for example, requests for data, the status ofthose requests, e.g., granted or denied, timestamp data that indicateswhen and by whom data was requested, the owner and/or location of thedata, and security restrictions applied to data for which a request hasbeen granted, which may be on a participant-by-participant basis.Requested file data 128 may also include the actual data that has beenrequested and granted by other participants. Requested file data 128 maybe specific to a particular user, for example a particular user ofclient device 102, or may be specific to multiple users.

File sharing data 130 may be used by file sharing application 116 andspecify, for example, the participants of an electronic meeting and thestatus of the participants, for example, whether the participants arepresenters or participants.

Although depicted in FIG. 1 as separate data for purposes ofexplanation, shared file data 126, requested file data 128 and filesharing data 130 may be combined in any manner and stored in any formator according to any type of data structure that may vary depending upona particular implementation.

B. Collaboration Server

Collaboration server 106 manages electronic meetings conducted betweendevices, such as client devices 102, 104. In the example depicted inFIG. 1, collaboration server includes a collaboration manager 150 andstorage 152 that stores collaboration data 154. Collaboration manager150 may interact with collaboration clients on client devices 102, 104to manage electronic meetings. The electronic meetings may includedocument sharing, desktop sharing, videoconferencing, etc. Collaborationdata 154 may include data for supporting and managing electronicmeetings, for example, data that indicates information about theelectronic meeting itself, participants, content shared during theelectronic meeting, etc. One non-limiting example implementation ofcollaboration manager 150 is a Microsoft Lync Server. Storage 152 may beimplemented by any number and types of memories, including volatilememory and non-volatile memory, which may vary depending upon aparticular implementation. Collaboration server 106 may include variousother components that may vary depending upon a particularimplementation and collaboration server 106 is not limited to aparticular set of components or features. The use of a collaborationserver 106 is optional and embodiments are applicable to electronicmeeting systems that do not use a collaboration server, for example,peer-to-peer collaboration systems.

III. Sharing Electronic Documents During Electronic Meetings

FIG. 2A depicts an example electronic meeting screen 200 generated, forexample, by collaboration client 114 and file sharing application 116.Thus, each participant in an electronic meeting may have their ownelectronic meeting screen 200. Electronic meeting screen 200 includes anelectronic document 202 having content 204 that is currently beingdisplayed during an electronic meeting. Examples of electronic document202 include, without limitation, slide show presentations, wordprocessing documents, images, videos, etc. Electronic meeting screen 200may include graphical user interface controls for manipulatingelectronic document 202 and/or content 206 that are not depicted in FIG.2A and described herein for purposes of explanation. As one example,such controls may allow minimizing and maximizing the display ofelectronic document 202 and content 206, and for taking control of anelectronic meeting or giving control of an electronic meeting to anotherparticipant. Embodiments are applicable to dynamic meetings in which anyparticipant may be a presenter or attendee at any time. Accordingly,electronic meeting screen 200 may include controls that allow a user todesignate themselves as a presenter or attendee, and/or to switchbetween being a presenter and an attendee. The controls presented to apresenter/attendee may be specific to the presenter/attendee's currentrole. For example, a participant who is currently a presenter may have adifferent set of electronic meeting controls than a participant who iscurrently an attendee, and those controls may vary depending upon aparticular implementation.

Electronic meeting screen 200 includes an attendee list 206 thatidentifies participants in the electronic meeting. The participants areseparately identified as presenters 208 and participants 210. Presenters208 are participants who have previously or are currently presentinginformation to the other participants and participants 210 arenon-presenter participants who are participating in the electronicmeeting, and may be requesting information from other participants, butare not presenting information to other participants. In the exampledepicted in FIG. 2A, presenters 208 include three presenters identifiedas Presenter A, Presenter B, Presenter C and Presenter D and the dashedrectangle visually indicates that Presenter A is currently presentingelectronic document 202. Participants 210 include four participantsidentified as Participant A, Participant B, Participant C andParticipant D. Additional controls may be provided, for example, tocollapse and expand the presenters 208 and participants 210 lists, whichmay be useful when the number of presenters 208 and/or participants 210is large.

Electronic meeting screen 200 includes document sharing controls 220generated by file sharing application 116. Document sharing controls 220may be represented by any type and number of graphical user interfaceobjects that may vary depending upon a particular implementation andembodiments are not limited to the examples depicted in FIG. 2A anddescribed herein. According to one embodiment, document controls 220include controls request document 222, shared documents 224 andrequested documents 226. The request document 222 control is used by aparticipant to request the electronic document 202 that is currentlybeing displayed during the electronic meeting. The shared documents 224control is used by a particular participant to view a list of electronicdocuments displayed during the electronic meeting to which theparticular participant has granted access to other participants. Therequested documents 226 control is used by a particular participant toview a list of electronic documents displayed during the electronicmeeting that the particular participant has requested. Documentrequested 228 controls visually depict which of the current presentersand participants have requested the electronic document 202 currentlybeing displayed. Document requested controls 228 are depicted in FIG. 2Aas selectable boxes for purposes of explanation, but embodiments are notlimited to the example depicted in FIG. 2A. For example, graphicalsymbols may be displayed to indicate that an electronic document hasbeen requested by a participant. Attributes of the graphical symbols maybe changed to visually indicate a change in status. For example,different colors, sizes and other attributes such as blinking, etc., maybe used to indicate current status, order and priority of requests forelectronic documents. Controls, such as request document 222, shareddocuments 224 and requested documents 226 may be displayed in adifferent manner depending upon the role of a participant. For example,if a particular participant is currently an attendee and has never beena presenter in the existing electronic meeting, then the shareddocuments 224 control may not be made available until the particularparticipant's role is changed from an attendee to a presenter.

A. Requesting Electronic Documents

A user of client device 102 requests a currently-displayed electronicdocument, such as electronic document 202, by selecting the requestdocument 222 control. In response to selecting the request document 222control, file sharing application 116 generates and transmits a requestfor electronic document 202 to the presenter of electronic document 202.This may include file sharing application 116 transmitting the requestfor electronic document 202 to the file sharing application executing onthe computing device of the presenter of electronic document 202. Filesharing application 116 may consult file sharing data 130 to determinethe presenter of electronic document 202. Alternatively, file sharingapplication 116 may generate and transmit a request to collaborationserver 106 and/or one or more of the participants of the electronicmeeting to determine the presenter of electronic document 202. Asdescribed in more detail hereinafter, the presenter of the electronicdocument 202 is notified of the request for the electronic document andis able to reject or accept the request, and also apply one or moresecurity restrictions to the electronic document 202. The file sharingapplication on the computing device of the requestor then generates andtransmits a response to the request to file sharing application 116 ofthe requestor.

File sharing application 116 receives the response to the request andupdates requested file data 128 based upon the response. For example,file sharing application 116 may update requested file data 128 toindicate that a request was made for electronic document 202, whetherthe request was granted or denied, timestamp data that indicates whenand by whom data was requested, the owner and/or location of the data,and security restrictions applied to data for which a request has beengranted. The response to the request may also include the electronicdocument 202 or alternatively, file sharing application 116 mayseparately request electronic document 202 once the request is granted.File sharing application 116 may then store the received electronicdocument 202, for example, on storage 122. This may be accomplished byfile sharing application 116 accessing one or more functions provided byOS 120 and may include display of a dialog box to give the user anoption to specify the location where the electronic document 202 is tobe stored. Alternatively, the electronic document 202 may be stored in adefault or previously specified location on storage 202. This processmay be performed easily and quickly by the user simply selecting therequest document 222 control. This eliminates the need for the user toseparately contact and acquire the electronic documents 202 from thepresenter, for example via email, which is particularly convenient whenthe user does not have current contact information for the presenter.

A user may also view information about documents that the user hasselected by selecting the requested documents 226 control. FIG. 2Bdepicts an example requested documents screen 250 for Participant A thatprovides information about requests made by Participant A for electronicdocuments displayed during electronic meetings. Requested documentsscreen 250 may be generated by file sharing application 116 in responseto the user selection of the requested documents 226 control. Theelectronic documents may have been requested during a single or multipleelectronic meetings. Requested documents screen 250 depicts informationfor five documents, identified as Document A-Document E, requested bythe user. The information includes a meeting name/ID, a document name, apresenter name, a request status and security restrictions. Theinformation depicted in FIG. 2B is example information and additional orless information may be used, depending upon a particularimplementation. The request status indicates whether the request ispending, has been granted, or has been denied. The security restrictionsmay be not applicable (n/a) for pending and denied requests. In theexample depicted in FIG. 2B, three levels of restrictions are available,identified as Level 1 (No restrictions), Level 2 (Security Code) andLevel 3 (Enhanced Security). The Level 2 (Security Code) and Level 3(Enhanced Security) security restrictions indicate that one or moresecurity restrictions have been applied to the requested electronicdocument to control access to and/or processing of the electronicdocument. The Level 2 (Security Code) security restriction requires thatthe security code be provided by the participant to open and/or processthe electronic document. The security code may be specified by apresenter after the presenter specifies that Level 2 (Security Code)security The security code may be included with the electronic documentor provided separate from the electronic document. For example, aseparate message with the security code may be automatically generatedand transmitted to the requestor. Alternatively, the electronic documentmay be encrypted with the security code.

The Level 3 (Enhanced Security) security restriction provides relativelystronger access control than the Level 2 (Security Code) securityrestriction. For example, the electronic document may be encrypted withan encryption key and stronger encryption may be used compared to theLevel 2 (Security Code) security restriction. As another example, Level3 (Enhanced Security) security restrictions may require userauthentication to access an electronic document. User authentication maybe enforced at a client device or other types of end user devices, suchas printers, MFPs, etc. User authentication may be performed using awide variety of approaches, such as via an authentication card reader,alpha-numeric code, etc., and then validated locally at a device orremotely, for example, using a lightweight directory access protocol(LDAP) server. Once authentication is successfully completed, a user maybe allowed to access and/or process an electronic document.

Thus, the security restrictions may represent a hierarchy of securityrestrictions that may be applied to requested electronic documents. Thesecurity restrictions depicted in FIG. 2B are examples only and theparticular security restrictions used may vary, depending upon aparticular implementation. While the security restrictions are depictedin FIG. 2B by textual descriptions, embodiments are not limited to thisexample and graphical representations and/or symbols may be used todepict security restrictions specified for requested electronicdocuments. For example, symbols having different visual attributes, suchas shape, size, color, etc., may be used in place of, or in addition to,the textual descriptions. This approach allows a participant to quicklyand easily determine the status of their requests for electronicdocuments displayed during an electronic meeting.

FIG. 3A is a flow diagram 300 that depicts an approach for a sharingelectronic documents during an electronic meeting from the perspectiveof a participant. In step 302, a particular electronic document isdisplayed during an electronic meeting. For example, a user of clientdevice 102 chooses to participant in an electronic meeting with a userof client device 104 who is presenting the particular electronicdocument. In this example, the user of client device 102 is consideredto be a participant and the user of client device 104 is considered tobe the presenter. The electronic meeting may be established using thecollaboration clients 114, 140 and optionally collaboration manager 150.The particular electronic document may be displayed using the electronicmeeting screen 200, including the document sharing controls 220, aspreviously described herein.

In step 304, the participant wishes to obtain the particular documentand requests the particular electronic document. For example, theparticipant may request the particular electronic document by selectingthe request document 222 control.

In step 306, the file sharing application 116 on client device 102generates and transmits a request for the particular electronic documentto file sharing application 142. The request includes data thatidentifies the particular electronic document and the requestor, i.e.,the user of client device 102. File sharing application 116 may obtaindata that identifies the particular electronic document currently beingdisplayed from collaboration client 114, collaboration manager 150 orfrom collaboration client 140, depending upon a particularimplementation. For example, collaboration client 114 may include an APIwith a function that can be invoked by file sharing application 116 toobtain data that identifies the particular electronic document currentlybeing displayed. The request may include additional data, be in anyformat supported by file sharing applications 116, 142 and may beencrypted, depending upon a particular application. File sharingapplication 116 also updates file sharing data 130 to include therequest so that electronic meeting screen 200 will indicate that theparticipant has requested the particular electronic document. In thepresent example, file sharing application 142 will be notified by therequest that the participant has requested the particular electronicdocument. In situations where additional participants are participatingin the electronic meeting, file sharing application 116 may also notifythe respective file sharing applications of the other participants thatthe participant has requested the particular electronic document so thattheir respective electronic meeting screens 200 will indicate that theparticipant has requested the particular electronic document.

In step 308, the file sharing application of the presenter, i.e., filesharing application 142, receives and processes the request, andgenerates and transmits a response to file sharing application. Theresponse may specify whether the request was denied or granted and ifgranted, may include either the particular electronic document orinformation, such as a link or reference, which provides access to theparticular electronic document. For example, the response may include alink to the particular electronic document stored on client device 104or on a cloud server. In situations where additional participants areparticipating in the electronic meeting, file sharing application 142may also notify the respective file sharing applications of the otherparticipants to indicate whether that the participant has requested theparticular electronic document so that their respective electronicmeeting screens 200 will indicate that the participant has requested theparticular electronic document.

In step 310, file sharing application 116 receives and processes theresponse from file sharing application 142. If the response indicatesthat the request was granted, file sharing application 116 retrieves andstores the particular electronic document, for example, on storage 122.File sharing application 116 also updates file sharing data 130 toindicate the current status of the request so that the requesteddocuments screen 250 will indicate the current status of theparticipant's request for the particular electronic document. Anysecurity restrictions applied to the particular electronic document bythe presenter are subsequently enforced when the particular electronicdocument is accessed or processed. For example, security restrictionsmay be applied when an attempt is made to open the particular electronicdocument, and/or process the particular electronic document usingapplications, email, or at a printer multi-function peripheral (MFP),etc. Application of the security restrictions may require, for example,that a user enter a security code or be authenticated prior to accessingor processing the particular electronic document. For example, if Level2 (Security Code) security restrictions were applied to the particularelectronic document, the user may be required to enter the security codespecified by the presenter to open the particular electronic document inan application program, such as a word processing program or a pdfviewer, or to print the particular electronic document at a printer orMFP.

B. Processing Requests for Electronic Documents

A user of client device 102 processes requests for electronic documents,such as electronic document 202, by selecting the shared documents 224control. In response to selecting the request document 222 control, filesharing application 116 provides one or more graphical user interfacecontrols that allow a user to display and manage requests for one ormore electronic documents presented by the user during one or moreelectronic meetings. FIG. 2C depicts an example shared documents screen270 for Participant B that provides information about requests forelectronic documents presented by Participant B during electronicmeetings. Shared documents screen 270 is displayed by the file sharingapplication executing on the computing device of Participant B.

Shared documents screen 270 may be generated by file sharing application116 in response to the user selection of the shared documents 224control. The electronic documents may have been requested during asingle or multiple electronic meetings. Shared documents screen 270depicts information for seven requests for electronic documents,including three requests for Document A and a single request for each ofDocument F, Document G, Document H and Document I. The information forthe requests includes a meeting name/ID, a document name, a requestorname, a request status and security restrictions. The informationdepicted in FIG. 2C is example information and additional or lessinformation may be used, depending upon a particular implementation. Therequest status indicates whether the request is pending, has beengranted, or has been denied. The security restrictions are notapplicable (n/a) for pending and denied requests.

In the example depicted in FIG. 2C, the security restrictions includecontrols for denying a request or applying a security restriction levelto a request, which implicitly includes accepting a request. Any of thecontent in shared documents screen 270 may be active and selectable by auser. For example, a user may use a selection mechanism, such as acomputer mouse, to select one of the columns, such as Meeting Name/ID tocause the information in shared documents screen 270 to be sorted by theselected column. In addition, data within shared documents screen 270may be selected by a user. For example, Participant B may use aselection device, such as a computer mouse, to select “Deny” and therequest from Participant A for Document A is denied. As another example,Participant B may select “Level 1” and the request from Participant Afor Document A is accepted with Level 1 security restrictions appliedfor Document A with respect to Participant A. Each request is specificto a particular requestor and granting a request with a particularsecurity restriction is specific to the particular requestor anddifferent security restrictions (or no security restrictions) may beapplied to different requests, even for the same electronic document.According to one embodiment, graphical user interface objects, such assymbols and icons may be used in place of, or in addition to, the textdepicted in shared documents screen 270 for denying or granting requestsand for applying security restrictions. For example, symbols may bedisplayed that correspond to the actions of denying a request, acceptingand applying Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 security restrictions toprovide a more user friendly experience for the presenter of theelectronic document. A security restriction (or no security) may bespecified as a default. For example, all electronic documents may have adefault restriction requirement of “deny” in high security environments,making them non-sharable unless the presenter overrides the defaultsecurity restriction.

Multiple requests may be made for the same electronic document. Forexample, it is not uncommon for several participants of an electronicmeeting to request the same electronic document that is being displayed.As depicted in FIG. 2C, three requests have been made for Document A byParticipant A, Participant C and Participant D. The request fromParticipant D has been granted with Level 3 (Enhanced Security) and therequests from Participant A and Participant C are currently pending.Alternatively, shared documents screen 270 may include a single entry(row) for each electronic document and provide a visual indication thatmultiple requests are associated with a particular electronic document.For example, a user-selectable graphic, symbol or icon may be displayedto indicate that multiple requests exist for a particular electronicdocument. As another example, one or more visual attributes, such ascolor, bolding, underlining, etc., may be changed for the row in shareddocuments screen 270 for the particular document to visually indicatethat multiple requests exist for the particular electronic document. Inresponse to a user selection of the graphic, symbol or icon, or of anycontent in the row itself, the row may be expanded into multiple rows toshow all of the requests for the particular electronic document.Alternatively, multiple requests for a particular electronic documentmay be displayed in a dialog box or other graphical user interfaceobjects.

FIG. 3B is a flow diagram 320 that depicts an approach for a sharingelectronic documents during an electronic meeting from the perspectiveof a presenter. In step 322, a file sharing application of a presenterreceives a request for a particular electronic document. The particularelectronic document is displayed during a existing electronic meeting ormay have been displayed during a prior electronic meeting that has nowconcluded. The file sharing application of the presenter, for example,file sharing application 142, updates file sharing data for thepresenter to include the request.

In step 324, the presenter views their pending requests, for example, byselecting shared documents 224 control. The presenters file sharingapplication detects selection of the shared documents 224 control anddisplays the shared documents screen 270 to show the requests for thepresenter.

In step 326, the presenter denies or approves the request and optionallyspecifies security restrictions to be applied to the electronicdocument, as previously described herein. If the presenter specifiesthat security restrictions are to be applied to the electronic document,then the presenter may be queried for additional information or mayselect one or more options associated with applying securityrestrictions. For example, the presenter may be queried to enter asecurity code for the electronic document. The security code may be analphanumeric sequence of any length and may have minimum requirements,such as a minimum number of alphanumeric characters. Alternatively, thepresenter may select a graphical user interface control to automaticallygenerate a random security code. The security code may be carried withthe electronic document or the electronic document may be encrypted withthe security code.

In step 328, the file sharing application of the presenter generates andtransmits a response to the file sharing application of the participantthat made the request. For example, file sharing application 142 onclient device 104 may generate and transmit a response to file sharingapplication 116 on client device 102. The response may specify whetherthe request was denied or granted and if granted, may include either theparticular electronic document or information, such as a link orreference, which provides access to the particular electronic document.For example, the response may include a link to the particularelectronic document stored on client device 104 or on a cloud server. Insituations where additional participants are participating in theelectronic meeting, file sharing application 142 may also notify therespective file sharing applications of the other participants toindicate whether that the participant has requested the particularelectronic document so that their respective electronic meeting screens200 will indicate that the participant has requested the particularelectronic document. Security restrictions that were specified by thepresenter when granting the request may be applied to the particularelectronic document in a wide variety of ways that may vary dependingupon a particular implementation. For example, if Level 2 (SecurityCode) security restrictions were specified, the security code specifiedby the presenter may be transmitted in or with the particular electronicdocument. Alternatively, for stronger protection, the particularelectronic document may be encrypted using the security code. Filesharing application 142 may be configured to invoke operating systemfunctionality or functionality provided by one or more otherapplications to add the security code to the particular electronicdocument or to encrypt the particular electronic document with thesecurity code.

In step 330, the file sharing application of the participant processesthe response received from the file sharing application of thepresenter. For example, file sharing application 116 may process theresponse received from file sharing application 142. If the responseindicates that the request was granted, file sharing application 116retrieves and stores the particular electronic document, for example, onstorage 122. File sharing application 116 also updates file sharing data130 to indicate the current status of the request so that the requesteddocuments screen 250 will indicate the current status of theparticipant's request for the particular electronic document. Anysecurity restrictions applied to the particular electronic document bythe presenter are subsequently enforced when the particular electronicdocument is accessed or processed. For example, security restrictionsmay be applied when an attempt is made to open the particular electronicdocument, and/or process the particular electronic document usingapplications, email, or at a printer multi-function peripheral (MFP),etc. Application of the security restrictions may require, for example,that a user enter a security code or be authenticated prior to accessingor processing the particular electronic document. For example, if Level2 (Security Code) security restrictions were applied to the particularelectronic document, the user may be required to enter the security codespecified by the presenter to open the particular electronic document inan application program, such as a word processing program or a pdfviewer, or to print the particular electronic document at a printer orMFP.

C. Participant Authentication

It may be desirable in particular situations to provide additionalsecurity, for example, when a particular electronic document containssensitive information. According to one embodiment, additional securityis provided by a process referred to herein as “participantauthentication” that conditions access to an electronic document onparticipation in an electronic meeting at which the electronic documentwas shared. Participant authentication requires that for a user to begranted access to an electronic document shared during an electronicmeeting, the user must have both requested and been granted a copy ofthe electronic document in association with the electronic meeting, andbeen an actual participant of the electronic meeting in which theelectronic document was shared. This prevents third parties fromaccessing an electronic document that was shared during an electronicmeeting, even if the third party has a code or key to decrypt theelectronic document.

Participant authentication may be implemented using a wide variety oftechniques that may vary depending upon a particular implementation andthat provide various levels of security. According to one embodiment, anentity, such as file sharing application 116, is configured to verifythat a user requesting access to a particular electronic document thatwas shared during a particular electronic meeting was a participant(presenter and/or attendee) of the particular electronic meeting. Datamay be stored, for example, in file sharing data 130, which specifieselectronic documents that were shared during electronic meetings, alongwith the participants of those electronic meetings. The data mayinstead, or in addition to, be stored as part of an electronic document,e.g., in a header portion of an electronic document.

When the file sharing application 116 receives a request from a user toaccess the particular electronic document that was shared during aparticular electronic meeting, file sharing application 116 verifiesthat the user was a participant (presenter and/or attendee) of theparticular electronic meeting prior to granting access to the user ofthe particular electronic document. This may be implemented in additionto any encoding or encryption of the particular electronic document.Thus, in situations where an electronic document shared during anelectronic meeting is also encoded or encrypted, once a determinationhas been made that the user is authorized to access the particularelectronic document, then the user is prompted for a code or key todecrypt the particular electronic document. Participant authenticationmay also include the use of any type of user authentication.

FIG. 4A depicts example electronic meeting tracking data 400 that may beused by file sharing application 116 to determine whether a userrequesting access to an electronic document was a participant in theelectronic meeting at which the electronic document was shared.Electronic meeting tracking data 400 may be stored as part of filesharing data 130, or separately, and may be stored in any structure orformat, depending upon a particular implementation. In the exampledepicted in FIG. 4A, electronic meeting tracking data 400 specifies, foreach of a plurality of electronic meetings, electronic documents thatwere shared during the electronic meeting and participants who werepresent in the electronic meeting when the electronic documents wereshared. For example, the first row of electronic meeting tracking data400 indicates that during a meeting identified as “Meeting #1” adocument named “Document A” was shared and that three meetingparticipants, identified as Participant A, Participant B and ParticipantC, were present during Meeting #1 when Document A was shared among theparticipants. Note that in Meeting #1, Participant C was no longerpresent in the electronic meeting when Document C was shared among theparticipants. Similarly, in Meeting #2, Participants A and D werepresent in the electronic meeting when Document D was shared among theparticipants and Participants A and E were present in the electronicmeeting when Document E was shared among the participants. The trackingof participants during electronic meetings may be performed, forexample, by collaboration client 114.

FIG. 4B is a flow diagram 450 that depicts an approach for usingparticipant authentication to manage access to electronic documentsshared during an electronic meeting. In step 452, a particularelectronic document is shared during an electronic meeting. For purposesof this example, it is presumed that User A is a user of client device102, is a participant of the electronic meeting and views the particularelectronic document. It is further presumed that User A requests and isgranted a copy of the particular electronic document, as previouslydescribed herein. The sharing of the particular electronic documentduring the electronic meeting may be tracked and documented bycollaboration client 114. A copy of the particular electronic documentis stored in requested file data 128 and electronic meeting trackingdata 400 may be updated to specify that the particular electronicdocument was shared with User A during the electronic meeting. In thisexample, it is also presumed that the presenter who approved User A'srequest for the particular electronic document specified that securityrestrictions be applied to the particular electronic document and morespecifically, that both participant authentication and encryption beapplied to the particular electronic document.

In step 454, a participant requests access to the particular electronicdocument that was shared during the electronic meeting. For example,User A may request access to the particular electronic document byselecting one or more graphical user interface controls provided by filesharing application 116.

In step 456, file sharing application 116 performs participantauthentication to verify whether the participant requesting access tothe particular electronic document was a participant in the electronicmeeting at which the particular electronic document was shared. Forexample, file sharing application 116 may consult electronic meetingtracking data 400 to verify whether User A was a participant in theelectronic meeting at which the particular electronic document wasshared.

Assuming that the participant authentication is successfully verifiedwith respect to User A and the particular electronic document, then instep 458, file sharing application 116 queries the user for securityinformation, based upon any security restrictions specified by thepresenter. A wide variety of security approaches and/or securityrestrictions may be used with participant authentication. For example,according to one embodiment, electronic documents that are shared duringelectronic meetings are not encoded or encrypted, and access iscontrolled by file sharing application 116 verifying that a requestorwas an actual participant of an electronic meeting at which a requestedelectronic document was shared. This approach may be considered toprovide a relatively low level of security because once an electronicdocument is out of the control of file sharing application 116, theelectronic document may be freely accessed by third parties.Alternatively, electronic documents that are shared during electronicmeetings may be encoded or encrypted with data, such as a code orencryption key, specified by a presenter or automatically generated bythe file sharing application of the presenter. This provides anadditional level of security since an electronic document that is takenout of the control of file sharing application 116 is encoded orencrypted and can only be used by a third party if the third party knowsthe code or encryption key that was used to encrypt the electronicdocument.

For a higher level of security, an electronic document shared during anelectronic meeting may be encoded or encrypted using data that isgenerated and/or supplied by the file sharing application of thepresenter. The data may be a code or encryption key generated by thefile sharing application of the presenter that is specific to themeeting at which the subject electronic document was shared. Forexample, data that is uniquely associated with the electronic meeting,such as a meeting identifier, may be used as an input to one or morehash functions to generate a unique key that is used to encrypt theelectronic document. The key is unknown to the participant of themeeting (and third parties), so that if a third party obtains a copy ofthe encrypted electronic document, the third party will not be able torecover the original electronic document. The file sharing applicationof the presenter may generate a different code or encryption key foreach electronic meeting and codes and encryption keys may also bespecific to particular users and/or electronic documents shared duringan electronic meeting.

For yet an even higher level of security, an electronic document sharedduring an electronic meeting may be encoded or encrypted using both 1)first data that is specified by the presenter; and 2) second data thatis generated and/or supplied by the file sharing application of thepresenter. The second data may be a code or encryption key generated bythe file sharing application as previously described herein. The seconddata may be appended to the first data and used to encrypt theelectronic document. As another example, the first data and the seconddata may be used as inputs to one or more hash functions to generate akey that is used to encrypt the electronic document. This approachprovides the relatively highest level of security because a third partyin possession of both the encrypted electronic document and the code orencryption key specified by the presenter is not able to decrypt theelectronic document. Rather, in this situation, the electronic documentcan only be decrypted by a file sharing application after verifying thatthe requestor was a participant of the electronic meeting and after therequestor provides the first data specified by the presenter.

In step 460, file sharing application 116 verifies the securityinformation, if applicable, and grants the requestor access to theparticular electronic document. This may include decrypting an encryptedversion of the electronic document to recover the original electronicdocument. The file sharing application 116 of the participant mayobtain, from the file sharing application of the presenter, the datanecessary to decrypt the encrypted electronic document. This mayinclude, for example, the first data, the second data, or both the firstdata and the second data previously described herein.

In contrast to the foregoing, suppose that in step 254, User B, who wasnot a participant of the electronic meeting, requests access to theparticular electronic document. In step 456, User B would not besuccessfully authenticated as a participant of the electronic meetingsince User B was not a participant of the electronic meeting andtherefore would not be granted access to the particular electronicdocument.

Granting of access to the electronic document may be provided in severalways that may vary depending upon a particular implementation. Forexample, file sharing application 116 may provide access to anunprotected version of the electronic document. As another example, filesharing application 116 may provide controlled access to the electronicdocument, e.g., via a viewer or other mechanism of file sharingapplication 116, without allowing a copy of the unprotected electronicdocument to be made.

IV. Private Electronic Meetings

Situations may arise where it is desirable for a subset of participantsof an electronic meeting to share information that they do not want tobe shared with all of the participants of the electronic meeting. Thismay occur in a wide variety of contexts. For example, suppose that abusiness meeting with four participants is being conductedelectronically. Suppose further that two of the four participants wishto share information privately, for example so that they can decide onan issue being discussed in the electronic meeting. The information mayinclude, for example, electronic documents, messages, conversation,etc., a videoconference, or any combination thereof. As another example,suppose that a job interview involving a candidate and two interviewersis being conducted electronically. Suppose further that during theinterview, the interviewers wish to exchange information or discuss anissue privately, without the candidate, so that they can decide whetherto extend an offer of employment to the candidate. In both of theseexamples, the participants wishing to exchange information and/orcommunicate privately typically have to conduct a separate meetingoutside of the existing meeting, and then a follow-up meeting with theoriginal participants, for example to discuss a decision that was made.This is inconvenient, requires more time and is inefficient. Embodimentspreviously described herein with respect to file sharing are applicableto private electronic meetings.

A. Overview

According to one embodiment, a capability is provided to establish oneor more private electronic meetings to be conducted concurrent with anexisting electronic meeting. Embodiments are described in the context ofconducting a single private electronic meeting during an existingelectronic meeting for purposes of explanation, but embodiments are notlimited to this context and any number of private electronic meetingsmay be established during an existing electronic meeting. The use ofprivate electronic meetings conducted concurrent with an existingelectronic meeting provides many benefits, for example, allowinginformation to be shared privately and decisions to be made immediately,without having to conduct a separate meeting at a later time, whichsaves time and improves productivity.

A private electronic meeting, also referred to herein as a “huddle,” iscreated during an existing electronic meeting and involves at least asubset of the participants of the existing electronic meeting. Forexample, suppose that an existing electronic meeting includes fourparticipants. A private electronic meeting may be established thatincludes two or three of the four participants. A private electronicmeeting may also include other participants that are not participants ofthe existing electronic meeting. For example, a private electronicmeeting may include a subset of participants from an existing electronicmeeting and one or more other participants who are not participants ofthe existing electronic meeting. This may be beneficial, for example,when the participants of the private electronic meeting wish to includeanother participant who is not part of the existing electronic meeting.

A private electronic meeting may include all of the information beingshared during the existing electronic meeting, or a private electronicmeeting may include less than all, or none, of the information sharedduring the existing electronic meeting. As used herein, the term“information” is used interchangeably with the term “content.” Includingless than all of the information may be desirable in a wide variety ofcontexts. For example, suppose that the private electronic meetingincludes a particular participant who was not a participant of theexisting electronic meeting. Suppose further that the participants ofthe private electronic meeting wish to share with the particularparticipant some of the information shared during the existingelectronic meeting, but not all of the information shared during theexisting electronic meeting. For example, the information shared duringthe existing electronic meeting may include sensitive information thatshould not be made available to the particular participant. Theparticipants of the private electronic meeting may selectively selectthe information to be shared during the private electronic meeting andexclude the sensitive information.

A private electronic meeting may include additional information that wasnot included in the existing electronic meeting. For example additionalinformation may be included in the private electronic meeting that isrelevant to a particular participant of the private electronic meetingwho was not a participant of the existing electronic meeting. Accordingto one embodiment, controls are provided to prevent information selectedfor sharing during a private electronic meeting from being shared in theexisting electronic meeting. This may be useful, for example, insituations where participants of a private electronic meeting shareadditional information that they do not wish to be shared with all ofthe participants of the existing electronic meeting. The controls mayprevent the accidental sharing of information.

According to one embodiment, when a new private electronic meeting isestablished, data is generated and stored that indicates an associationwith a general electronic meeting from which the new private electronicmeeting was established. For example, collaboration client 114 maygenerate and store data, either locally or in conjunction withcollaboration server 106, that indicates that a particular new privateelectronic meeting was instantiated from a particular general electronicmeeting.

B. Establishing Private Electronic Meetings

FIG. 5A depicts an example electronic meeting screen 500 generated bycollaboration client 114. Electronic meeting screen 500 indicatesgeneral meetings 502 and private meetings 504 that are currently inprogress. A user may select any of the general meetings 502 or privatemeetings 504, subject to applicable authorization criteria discussed inmore detail hereinafter, and the selected meeting is displayed onelectronic meeting screen 500. In the example depicted in FIG. 5A, oneof the general meetings 502 referred to as Meeting A has been selectedby a user and Meeting A is displayed in a general meeting window 510. Inthis example, Participant A created the general electronic meeting andis therefore the meeting organizer of the general electronic meeting.

General meeting window 510 includes content 520, participants 530,content sharing controls 540 and meeting controls 550. The participants530 includes data that specifies the current participants of themeeting. The content sharing controls 540 include a request content 542,a shared content 544 and a requested content 546 control, whichcorrespond to the document sharing controls 220 previously describedherein.

The meeting controls 550 include controls to join meeting 552,approve/deny request 554, add/remove participants 556, participantauthorization 558, add/remove content 560, end meeting 562 and startprivate meeting 564. Meeting controls 550 may be selectively madeavailable to users, depending upon a particular implementation. Forexample, the approve/deny request 554, add/remove participants 556,participant authorization 558 and end meeting 562 controls may bevisible to all participants of a meeting, but may be selectable only bythe meeting organizer of the meeting, or by designees of the meetingorganizer. For purposes of explanation, all of the meeting controls 550are depicted in the figures.

The join meeting 552 control allows a user to request to join thecurrently-selected meeting. According to one embodiment, selecting thejoin meeting 552 control causes the collaboration client 114 on theuser's client device 102 to generate and send to the collaborationclient of the meeting organizer, a request for the user to join thecurrently-selected meeting. The request includes data that specifies thecurrently-selected meeting and data that identifies the user. Therequest may be processed and immediately denied, for example, if theuser is not authorized to join the meeting. Alternatively, the meetingorganizer may be notified of the user's request to join thecurrently-selected meeting and then approve or deny the request usingthe approve/deny request 554 control. The add/remove participants 556control allows a user, such as the meeting organizer, to add or removeparticipants to or from a meeting. In response to a user selection ofthe add/remove participants 556 control, the user, such as a meetingorganizer, a list of contacts may be presented as candidate participantsof the meeting that the meeting organizer may select for invitation tothe meeting. The participant authorization 558 control allows a user,such as a meeting organizer, to specify attributes of users who arepermitted to attend a particular meeting. For example, a meetingorganizer may specify that a user must be at a particular organizationallevel (or higher) or be a member of a particular group, project orclass, to participate in a meeting.

The add/remove content 560 control allows a user to add or removecontent to or from a meeting. According to one embodiment, anyparticipant of an electronic meeting may add or remove content from anelectronic meeting. Alternatively, restrictions may be placed on who canadd or remove content from an electronic meeting. For example, a meetingorganizer may specify which participants are authorized to add or removecontent from an electronic meeting. This may be done directly byspecifying particular participants, or may be done by specifyingattributes, such as a level within a business organization or a securitylevel, that a user must have to be authorized to add or remove contentfrom an electronic meeting. Selection of the add/remove content 560control may cause one or more graphical user interface objects to bedisplayed that allow a user to add or remove content to an electronicmeeting. For example, a list may be provided that specifies contentitems currently included in an electronic meeting, along with controlsfor removing one or more of the content items. Controls may be providedthat allow a user to locate and select content to be added to anelectronic meeting. This may include, for example, the capability to addcontent to an electronic meeting using drag and drop controls. Accordingto one embodiment, a capability is provided that allows a meetingorganizer to approve all requests to add content to an electronicmeeting.

The end meeting 562 control allows a user, such as the meetingorganizer, to end a meeting. According to one embodiment, only themeeting organizer or a user designated by the meeting organizer isauthorized to end an electronic meeting. Alternatively, any participantof an electronic meeting may end an electronic meeting via the endmeeting 562 control. Selection of the end meeting 562 control may causethe collaboration client 114 on the user's client device 102 to generateand transmit a request to terminate the electronic meeting tocollaboration server 106 and/or the collaboration clients on the devicesof the participants of the meeting.

The start private meeting 564 control allows a user to start a newprivate meeting. User selection of the start private meeting 564 controlcauses a new private electronic meeting to be established and conductedconcurrently with the general meeting currently in progress. The userrequesting creation of the new private electronic meeting may be anyuser, for example a participant of the current general electronicmeeting, or another user, such as administrative support personnel. Theuser requesting to start a private electronic meeting may be designatedby default as the meeting organizer of the new private electronicmeeting, but this is not required, and the user requesting to start aprivate electronic meeting may designate a meeting organizer for the newprivate electronic meeting. The user requesting to start a privateelectronic meeting is not required to be a participant of either thecurrent general electronic meeting or of the new private electronicmeeting. In response to detecting a user selection of the start privatemeeting 564 control, collaboration client 114 interacts withcollaboration manager 150 and/or collaboration clients on other devicesto instantiate the new private electronic meeting, which may include,for example, initiating a new video conferencing session.

FIG. 5B depicts electronic meeting screen 500 with the general meetingwindow 510 of FIG. 5A, and a private meeting window 570 for the newprivate electronic meeting that has been instantiated. In this example,Participant B of the general electronic meeting created the new privateelectronic meeting, depicted in the figures as “Meeting X,” and is alsothe meeting organizer of the private electronic meeting. Private meetingwindow 570 may be presented as a separate window from general meetingwindow 510, as depicted in FIG. 5B, or private meeting window 570 may becreated within general meeting window 510, depending upon a particularimplementation. One or more additional private electronic meetings maybe established and the corresponding private electronic meeting windowscreated in general meeting window 510 and/or private meeting window 570.

The general meetings 502 control and the private meetings 504 controlallow a user to select and de-select the particular electronic meetingsto be viewed on electronic meeting screen 500. The meeting windowsdisplayed on electronic meeting screen 500 may be displayed in a mannerto visually distinguish them from each other. For example, displayattributes, such as color, style and special effects, may be selectivelyapplied to visually distinguish the meeting windows. All meeting windowsdisplayed on electronic meeting window 500 may be active, meaning thatthe content in each of the windows may be updated at the same time. Insituations where client device 102 has only a single camera andmicrophone and multiple meeting windows include videoconferencingsessions, then a user may select a single meeting window to be theactive window with respect to the camera and microphone. According toone embodiment, the general meetings 502 control and the privatemeetings 504 control are populated on a user-specific basis, meaningthat the meetings listed in the general meetings 502 control and theprivate meetings 504 control are the meetings that the user is aparticipant of, or otherwise is authorized to view. For example, aparticular user may not be able to see that certain general or privatemeetings are in progress if the particular user does not have sufficientprivileges for those electronic meetings. Thus, participants of ageneral electronic meeting may not be given authorization to view orparticipate in a private electronic meeting that was instantiated duringthe general electronic meeting. Similarly, one or more participants ofthe private electronic meeting may not be given authorization to view orparticipate in the general electronic meeting from which the privateelectronic meeting was instantiated.

Private meeting window 570 includes content 572, participants 574,document sharing controls 576 and meeting controls 578. Private meetingwindow 570 may include fewer or additional controls that may vary,depending upon a particular implementation. FIG. 5C depicts privatemeeting window 570 in more detail. General meeting window 510 isintentionally not included in FIG. 5C for purposes of better depictingthe details of private meeting window 570. In the example depicted inFIG. 5C, meeting controls 578 include a start private meeting 564control to allow any number of additional private electronic meetings tobe established from the private meeting window 570.

C. Private Electronic Meeting Participants

The participants of a private electronic meeting may be the same ordifferent than the participants of a general electronic meeting andother private electronic meetings. In practice it may be common for aprivate electronic meeting to include fewer than all of the participantsof the general electronic meeting from which the private electronicmeeting was instantiated, but this is not required. For example, ageneral meeting may include some participants that are not needed for aprivate meeting to discuss a specific issues. Furthermore, a privateelectronic meeting may include participants that are not participants ofthe general electronic meeting.

According to one embodiment, either the user creating the new privateelectronic meeting or the meeting organizer designated for the newprivate electronic meeting selects the participants of a new privateelectronic meeting. Selection of participants for a private electronicmeeting may be done via the add/remove participants 556 control. Forexample, in response to selecting the add/remove participants 556control, a user may be presented with a list of candidate participants.The candidate participants may be derived from the user's personalcontacts and/or contacts associated with a business organization or agroup. According to one embodiment, the participants of a generalelectronic meeting are automatically designated as candidateparticipants of a private electronic meeting. The user may then selectcandidate participants to be invited to the private electronic meeting.In response, collaboration client 114 causes a meeting invitation to besent to the collaboration client of each of the candidate participants,who may individually accept or decline the invitation. Collaborationclient 114 may interact with programs and applications, for examplecalendaring programs, to cause the meeting invitations to be generated.

A user may use the participant authorization 558 control to specifyattributes of participants that are allowed to attend the new privateelectronic meeting. The specified attributes may be used to filter thecandidate participants that are presented to a user. For example, theuser requesting to start a new private electronic meeting, by selectingstart private meeting 564 control from meeting controls 550, may alsoselect the participant authorization 558 control and specify thatparticipants of the new private electronic meeting must be at aspecified level or higher within a business organization, be a member ofa specified group or project, or have at least a specified securityclearance level. In this example, the candidate participants for the newprivate electronic meeting that are presented to the user will satisfythe specified criteria, namely, be at the specified level or higherwithin the business organization, be a member of a specified group orproject, or have at least a specified security clearance level. Singleattributes or multiple attributes may be specified, depending upon aparticular implementation. For example, a user may specify thatparticipants of a particular private electronic meeting must be a memberof a particular project within a business organization and be at aspecified level or higher within the business organization. According toone embodiment, the graphical user interface generated and managed bycollaboration client 114 supports selecting participants 574 for aprivate electronic meeting using drag and drop controls, e.g., via apointing device such as a mouse or trackball. For example, a user maydrag and drop the name of a particular candidate participant from a listof candidate participants, or from participants 530 of general meetingwindow 510, onto a graphical user interface object associated with a newprivate electronic meeting, such as private meeting window 570, to causethe particular candidate participant to be invited to the new privateelectronic meeting.

D. Adding Content to Private Electronic Meetings

The information or content shared via a private electronic meeting mayinclude may type of information or content. Examples of information andcontent that may be shared during a private electronic meeting include,without limitation, electronic documents, text, images, audio/videocontent, etc., or any combination thereof. Private electronic meetingsmay support messaging and chat sessions, videoconferencing and desktopsharing. Content may be added to a private electronic meeting using awide variety of methods that may vary depending upon a particularimplementation, for example, using the add/remove content 560 controlpreviously described herein.

Restrictions may be placed on which participants may add and/or removecontent from a private electronic meeting. For example, when a newprivate electronic meeting is established, the meeting organizer mayspecify which participants are authorized to add and/or remove contentfrom the new private electronic meeting. This effectively allows ameeting organizer to characterize some participants as having “readonly” access and other participants as having “read/write” access, withrespect to content shared during the private electronic meeting.Collaboration client 114 may provide one or more graphical userinterface controls for specifying which participants are authorized toadd and/or delete content from a private electronic meeting.Furthermore, additional granularity may be provided by allowing ameeting organizer to specify the attributes of content that particularparticipants may add to or delete from a private electronic meeting. Forexample, some participants may be given authority to add and/or deleteany type of content from a private electronic meeting, while otherparticipants may be given authority to add and/or delete content havingparticular attributes, e.g., certain types of content.

According to one embodiment, content shared during a private electronicmeeting may be designated as information that is not to be shared inother electronic meetings, including a general meeting from which theprivate electronic meeting was instantiated. Referring to FIG. 5B, anyportion or all of content 572 that is shared during private electronicmeeting X may be designated as not to be shared during generalelectronic meeting A. This may be useful, for example, in situationswhere the participants of a private electronic meeting wish to shareinformation amongst themselves that they do not wish to share with oneor more participants of a general electronic meeting. To avoidaccidental sharing of information in this situation, the graphical userinterface controls that allow a user to designate information to beshared during a private electronic meeting may include a control to“lock” one or more portions of the information. Information designatedas “locked” may be shared during a private electronic meeting, but notduring a general electronic meeting from which the private electronicmeeting was instantiated.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 600 that depicts an approach for sharinginformation using private meetings. In step 602, a general electronicmeeting is established. For example, a user of client device 102 may usecollaboration client 114 to establish a general electronic meeting witha plurality of participants. Collaboration client 114 instantiates thegeneral electronic meeting and creates a general meeting window 510 onelectronic meeting screen 500.

In step 604, a user requests to start a private electronic meeting. Forexample, a participant of the general electronic meeting, which may bethe meeting organizer or another participant, request to start a privateelectronic meeting by selecting the start private meeting 564 control(FIG. 5A). In response to this selection, the user's collaborationclient 114 instantiates a private electronic meeting and generates aprivate meeting window 570 that includes meeting controls 578 aspreviously described herein. In step 606, participants are selectedand/or invited for the private electronic meeting. Participants of thegeneral electronic meeting may be selected as candidate participantsfrom which participants are selected by the meeting organizer. Themeeting organizer may also select candidates from other sources, such asa contact list of a business organization or group, personal contactlist, etc. Once the participants for the private electronic meeting areselected, an invitation is sent to each of the participants, who mayaccept or decline the invitation.

In step 608, content is selected for the private electronic meeting.Participants who are authorized to add content to the private electronicmeeting may use the add/remove content 560 control to add content to theprivate electronic meeting. This may include a participant usingnavigation controls, drag and drop, etc., to add content to privatemeeting window 570.

In step 610, the new private electronic meeting starts.

V. Implementation Mechanisms

Although the flow diagrams of the present application depict aparticular set of steps in a particular order, other implementations mayuse fewer or more steps, in the same or different order, than thosedepicted in the figures.

According to one embodiment, the techniques described herein areimplemented by one or more special-purpose computing devices. Thespecial-purpose computing devices may be hard-wired to perform thetechniques, or may include digital electronic devices such as one ormore application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed toperform the techniques, or may include one or more general purposehardware processors programmed to perform the techniques pursuant toprogram instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or acombination. Such special-purpose computing devices may also combinecustom hard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with custom programming toaccomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computing devices may bedesktop computer systems, portable computer systems, handheld devices,networking devices or any other device that incorporates hard-wiredand/or program logic to implement the techniques.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that depicts an example computer system 700upon which embodiments may be implemented. Computer system 700 includesa bus 702 or other communication mechanism for communicatinginformation, and a processor 704 coupled with bus 702 for processinginformation. Computer system 700 also includes a main memory 706, suchas a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupledto bus 702 for storing information and instructions to be executed byprocessor 704. Main memory 706 also may be used for storing temporaryvariables or other intermediate information during execution ofinstructions to be executed by processor 704. Computer system 700further includes a read only memory (ROM) 708 or other static storagedevice coupled to bus 702 for storing static information andinstructions for processor 704. A storage device 710, such as a magneticdisk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 702 for storinginformation and instructions.

Computer system 700 may be coupled via bus 702 to a display 712, such asa cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user.Although bus 702 is illustrated as a single bus, bus 702 may compriseone or more buses. For example, bus 702 may include without limitation acontrol bus by which processor 704 controls other devices withincomputer system 700, an address bus by which processor 704 specifiesmemory locations of instructions for execution, or any other type of busfor transferring data or signals between components of computer system700.

An input device 714, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupledto bus 702 for communicating information and command selections toprocessor 704. Another type of user input device is cursor control 716,such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicatingdirection information and command selections to processor 704 and forcontrolling cursor movement on display 712. This input device typicallyhas two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and asecond axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in aplane.

Computer system 700 may implement the techniques described herein usingcustomized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/orprogram logic or computer software which, in combination with thecomputer system, causes or programs computer system 700 to be aspecial-purpose machine. According to one embodiment, those techniquesare performed by computer system 700 in response to processor 704processing instructions stored in main memory 706. Such instructions maybe read into main memory 706 from another computer-readable medium, suchas storage device 710. Processing of the instructions contained in mainmemory 706 by processor 704 causes performance of the functionalitydescribed herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry maybe used in place of or in combination with software instructions toimplement the embodiments. Thus, embodiments are not limited to anyspecific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing data that causes a computer to operate ina specific manner. In an embodiment implemented using computer system700, various computer-readable media are involved, for example, inproviding instructions to processor 704 for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media andvolatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical ormagnetic disks, such as storage device 710. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory 706. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, without limitation, a floppy disk, aflexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical medium, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip, memory cartridge or memory stick, orany other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in storinginstructions for processing by processor 704. For example, theinstructions may initially be stored on a storage medium of a remotecomputer and transmitted to computer system 700 via one or morecommunications links. Bus 702 carries the data to main memory 706, fromwhich processor 704 retrieves and processes the instructions. Theinstructions received by main memory 706 may optionally be stored onstorage device 710 either before or after processing by processor 704.

Computer system 700 also includes a communication interface 718 coupledto bus 702. Communication interface 718 provides a communicationscoupling to a network link 720 that is connected to a local network 722.For example, communication interface 718 may be a modem to provide adata communication connection to a telephone line. As another example,communication interface 718 may be a local area network (LAN) card toprovide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wirelesslinks may also be implemented. In any such implementation, communicationinterface 718 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or opticalsignals that carry digital data streams representing various types ofinformation.

Network link 720 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 720 mayprovide a connection through local network 722 to a host computer 724 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 726.ISP 726 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the“Internet” 728. Local network 722 and Internet 728 both use electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams.

Computer system 700 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 720 and communicationinterface 718. In the Internet example, a server 730 might transmit arequested code for an application program through Internet 728, ISP 726,local network 722 and communication interface 718. The received code maybe processed by processor 704 as it is received, and/or stored instorage device 710, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been described withreference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementationto implementation. Thus, the sole and exclusive indicator of what is,and is intended by the applicants to be, the invention is the set ofclaims that issue from this application, in the specific form in whichsuch claims issue, including any subsequent correction. Hence, nolimitation, element, property, feature, advantage or attribute that isnot expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim inany way. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus providing an improvement inelectronic meetings conducted over computer networks, the apparatuscomprising: one or more processors; one or more memories communicativelycoupled to the one or more processors; a collaboration client executingon the apparatus and configured to support an electronic meeting via oneor more networks with another apparatus that is external to theapparatus and to: cause to be displayed on a display, one or moregraphical user interface objects that allow a user of the apparatus torequest creation of a private electronic meeting to be conductedconcurrently with an existing electronic meeting, wherein the privateelectronic meeting includes participants from the existing electronicmeeting and allows for the sharing of information between participants,detect a user selection of the one or more graphical user interfaceobjects that allow a user of the apparatus to request creation of aprivate electronic meeting to be conducted concurrently with an existingelectronic meeting, wherein the private electronic meeting includesparticipants from the existing electronic meeting and allows for thesharing of information between participants, and in response todetection of the user selection of the one or more graphical userinterface objects that allow a user of the apparatus to request creationof a private electronic meeting to be conducted concurrently with anexisting electronic meeting, wherein the private electronic meetingincludes participants from the existing electronic meeting and allowsfor the sharing of information between participants: cause creation ofthe private electronic meeting to be conducted concurrently with theexisting electronic meeting, cause to be displayed on the display, anadd/remove participants control that allows a user to add participantsto the private electronic meeting and one or more graphical userinterface objects that allow the user of the apparatus to specify one ormore required attributes of participants to be able to participate inthe private electronic meeting, detect a user selection of theadd/remove participants control and at least one graphical userinterface object from the one or more graphical user interface objectsthat specify one or more required attributes of participants to be ableto participate in the private electronic meeting, in response todetecting the user selection of the add/remove participants control andthe at least one graphical user interface object from the one or moregraphical user interface objects that specify one or more requiredattributes of participants to be able to participate in the privateelectronic meeting: determine a subset of participants from theplurality of participants of the existing electronic meeting thatsatisfy the one or more required attributes of participants to be ableto participate in the private electronic meeting that correspond to theselected at least one graphical user interface object, and display thesubset of participants from the plurality of participants of theexisting electronic meeting as user-selectable candidate participantsfor the private electronic meeting on the display, detect a userselection of one or more candidate participants, from the plurality ofcandidate participants, for the private electronic meeting, in responseto detecting the user selection of one or more candidate participants,from the plurality of candidate participants for the private electronicmeeting, adding the one or more candidate participants to the privateelectronic meeting.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the privateelectronic meeting includes a particular participant that is notincluded in the plurality of participants of the existing electronicmeeting, and the collaboration client is further configured to cause tobe displayed on the display, one or more graphical user interfaceobjects that allow the user of the apparatus to specify, for inclusionin the private electronic meeting, the particular participant that isnot included in the plurality of participants of the existing electronicmeeting.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more requiredattributes of participants to be able to participate in the privateelectronic meeting include one or more of a level within a businessorganization, a member of a group or project, or a security clearancelevel.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collaboration client isfurther configured to cause to be displayed on the display, one or moregraphical user interface objects that allow the user of the apparatus tospecify one or more permissions for a particular participant of theprivate electronic meeting, wherein the one or more permissions specifywhether the particular participant is authorized to add or deletecontent to and from the private electronic meeting.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein: wherein the one or more permissions further specifyattributes of content that the particular participant is authorized toadd or delete to and from the private electronic meeting.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein: the existing electronic meeting providesfor the sharing of a plurality of information among the plurality ofparticipants of the existing electronic meeting, and the collaborationclient is further configured to cause to be displayed on the display,one or more graphical user interface objects that allow the user of theapparatus to specify particular information, not included in theplurality of information shared among the plurality of participants ofthe electronic meeting, to be included in the private electronic meetingand prevented from being included in the existing electronic meeting. 7.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein both the existing electronic meetingand the private electronic meeting are implemented as video conferencingsessions and the information includes one or more of one or moreelectronic documents, audio/visual content or one or more messages. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collaboration client is furtherconfigured to cause to be displayed, on the display, a graphical userinterface that supports display of the private electronic meetingconcurrently with the existing electronic meeting.
 9. One or morenon-transitory computer-readable media providing an improvement inelectronic meetings conducted over computer networks, the apparatus, theone or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructionswhich, when processed by one or more processors, cause a collaborationclient executing on an apparatus, and configured to support anelectronic meeting via one or more networks with another apparatus thatis external to the apparatus, to: cause to be displayed on a display,one or more graphical user interface objects that allow a user of theapparatus to request creation of a private electronic meeting to beconducted concurrently with an existing electronic meeting, wherein theprivate electronic meeting includes participants from the existingelectronic meeting and allows for the sharing of information betweenparticipants, detect a user selection of the one or more graphical userinterface objects that allow a user of the apparatus to request creationof a private electronic meeting to be conducted concurrently with anexisting electronic meeting, wherein the private electronic meetingincludes participants from the existing electronic meeting and allowsfor the sharing of information between participants, and in response todetection of the user selection of the one or more graphical userinterface objects that allow a user of the apparatus to request creationof a private electronic meeting to be conducted concurrently with anexisting electronic meeting, wherein the private electronic meetingincludes participants from the existing electronic meeting and allowsfor the sharing of information between participants: cause creation ofthe private electronic meeting to be conducted concurrently with theexisting electronic meeting, cause to be displayed on the display, anadd/remove participants control that allows a user to add participantsto the private electronic meeting and one or more graphical userinterface objects that allow the user of the apparatus to specify one ormore required attributes of participants to be able to participate inthe private electronic meeting, detect a user selection of theadd/remove participants control and at least one graphical userinterface object from the one or more graphical user interface objectsthat specify one or more required attributes of participants to be ableto participate in the private electronic meeting, in response todetecting the user selection of the add/remove participants control andthe at least one graphical user interface object from the one or moregraphical user interface objects that specify one or more requiredattributes of participants to be able to participate in the privateelectronic meeting: determine a subset of participants from theplurality of participants of the existing electronic meeting thatsatisfy the one or more required attributes of participants to be ableto participate in the private electronic meeting that correspond to theselected at least one graphical user interface object, and display thesubset of participants from the plurality of participants of theexisting electronic meeting as user-selectable candidate participantsfor the private electronic meeting on the display, detect a userselection of one or more candidate participants, from the plurality ofcandidate participants, for the private electronic meeting, in responseto detecting the user selection of one or more candidate participants,from the plurality of candidate participants for the private electronicmeeting, adding the one or more candidate participants to the privateelectronic meeting.
 10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of claim 9, wherein: the private electronic meeting includes aparticular participant that is not included in the plurality ofparticipants of the existing electronic meeting, and the one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media store additional instructionswhich, when processed by one or more processors, cause the collaborationclient to cause to be displayed on the display, one or more graphicaluser interface objects that allow the user of the apparatus to specify,for inclusion in the private electronic meeting, the particularparticipant that is not included in the plurality of participants of theexisting electronic meeting.
 11. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the one or more requiredattributes of participants to be able to participate in the privateelectronic meeting include one or more of a level within a businessorganization, a member of a group or project, or a security clearancelevel.
 12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media ofclaim 9, further comprising additional instructions which, whenprocessed by one or more processors, cause the collaboration client tocause to be displayed on the display, one or more graphical userinterface objects that allow the user of the apparatus to specify one ormore permissions for a particular participant of the private electronicmeeting, wherein the one or more permissions specify whether theparticular participant is authorized to add or delete content to andfrom the private electronic meeting.
 13. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 9, wherein: wherein the one or morepermissions further specify attributes of content that the particularparticipant is authorized to add or delete to and from the privateelectronic meeting.
 14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of claim 9, wherein: the existing electronic meeting provides forthe sharing of a plurality of information among the plurality ofparticipants of the existing electronic meeting, and the one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media store additional instructionswhich, when processed by one or more processors, cause the collaborationclient to cause to be displayed on the display, one or more graphicaluser interface objects that allow the user of the apparatus to specifyparticular information, not included in the plurality of informationshared among the plurality of participants of the electronic meeting, tobe included in the private electronic meeting and prevented from beingincluded in the existing electronic meeting.
 15. The one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein both theexisting electronic meeting and the private electronic meeting areimplemented as video conferencing sessions and the information includesone or more of one or more electronic documents, audio/visual content orone or more messages.
 16. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the collaboration client isfurther configured to cause to be displayed, on the display, a graphicaluser interface that supports display of the private electronic meetingconcurrently with the existing electronic meeting.
 17. Acomputer-implemented method providing an improvement in electronicmeetings conducted over computer networks, the apparatus, thecomputer-implemented method comprising: causing, by a collaborationclient executing on an apparatus and configured to support an electronicmeeting via one or more networks with another apparatus that is externalto the apparatus, to be displayed on a display, one or more graphicaluser interface objects that allow a user of the apparatus to requestcreation of a private electronic meeting to be conducted concurrentlywith an existing electronic meeting, wherein the private electronicmeeting includes participants from the existing electronic meeting andallows for the sharing of information between participants, detecting,by the collaboration client executing on the apparatus, a user selectionof the one or more graphical user interface objects that allow a user ofthe apparatus to request creation of a private electronic meeting to beconducted concurrently with an existing electronic meeting, wherein theprivate electronic meeting includes participants from the existingelectronic meeting and allows for the sharing of information betweenparticipants, and in response to detection of the user selection of theone or more graphical user interface objects that allow a user of theapparatus to request creation of a private electronic meeting to beconducted concurrently with an existing electronic meeting, wherein theprivate electronic meeting includes a subset of participants from aplurality of participants of the existing electronic meeting and allowsfor the sharing of information between participants in the subset ofparticipants from the plurality of participants of the existingelectronic meeting: cause, by the collaboration client executing on theapparatus, creation of the private electronic meeting to be conductedconcurrently with the existing electronic meeting, cause to be displayedon the display, an add/remove participants control that allows a user toadd participants to the private electronic meeting and one or moregraphical user interface objects that allow the user of the apparatus tospecify one or more required attributes of participants to be able toparticipate in the private electronic meeting, detect a user selectionof the add/remove participants control and at least one graphical userinterface object from the one or more graphical user interface objectsthat specify one or more required attributes of participants to be ableto participate in the private electronic meeting, in response todetecting the user selection of the add/remove participants control andthe at least one graphical user interface object from the one or moregraphical user interface objects that specify one or more requiredattributes of participants to be able to participate in the privateelectronic meeting: determine a subset of participants from theplurality of participants of the existing electronic meeting thatsatisfy the one or more required attributes of participants to be ableto participate in the private electronic meeting that correspond to theselected at least one graphical user interface object, and display thesubset of participants from the plurality of participants of theexisting electronic meeting as user-selectable candidate participantsfor the private electronic meeting on the display, detect a userselection of one or more candidate participants, from the plurality ofcandidate participants, for the private electronic meeting, in responseto detecting the user selection of one or more candidate participants,from the plurality of candidate participants for the private electronicmeeting, adding the one or more candidate participants to the privateelectronic meeting.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17,wherein the private electronic meeting includes a particular participantthat is not included in the plurality of participants of the existingelectronic meeting, and the collaboration client causes to be displayedon the display, one or more graphical user interface objects that allowthe user of the apparatus to specify, for inclusion in the privateelectronic meeting, the particular participant that is not included inthe plurality of participants of the existing electronic meeting. 19.The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the collaborationclient is further configured to cause to be displayed on the display,one or more graphical user interface objects that allow the user of theapparatus to specify one or more permissions for a particularparticipant of the private electronic meeting, wherein the one or morepermissions specify whether the particular participant is authorized toadd or delete content to and from the private electronic meeting. 20.The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein: wherein the one ormore permissions further specify attributes of content that theparticular participant is authorized to add or delete to and from theprivate electronic meeting.